Bengals RB Giovani Bernard projected to catch 60 passes

by Larry Hartstein | CBSSports.com

(2/10/15) Bengals running back Jeremy Hill figures to be the bell cow in 2015, garnering 15-20 touches per game, but running back Giovani Bernard won't be an afterthought, reports Geoff Hobson of the team's offiicial website.

"Bernard is still going to get a lot of key touches as the change-of-pace guy," Hobson wrote, projecting Bernard with 8-11 touches per game. "I think [OC] Hue [Jackson] uses him a lot more in the pass game this year. With [tight end Jermaine] Gresham expected to be gone, I'm going to write in Gio for 60 catches."

It's not a stretch, as Bernard caught 56 passes as a rookie, then 43 in 13 games last year. He had a touchdown grab in each of the last two regular-season games and was Cincy's best receiver down the stretch, per Hobson.

Giovani Bernard leads Bengals in receiving in Wild Card loss

by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(1/4/15) Bengals running back Giovani Bernard recorded team highs in receiving Sunday with eight receptions for 46 yards in his team's 26-10 loss to the Colts in the Wild Card round.

The Bengals were without their top two receiving threats, A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham, for the first-round playoff game, and their solution was for the offense to feature three running backs, with Bernard teaming with Jeremy Hill and Rex Burkhead to receive 28 of the team's 35 non-QB touches. Bernard also added six rushing yards on three carries in the loss.

Burkhead drew the first two touches of the game, racking up 23 yards on an end-around on his only carry of the day and adding 34 yards on three receptions over the course of the game. He managed just 76 yards on 16 touches during the regular season.

Bengals RB Giovani Bernard scores TD vs. Steelers

by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(12/29/14) Bengals running back Giovani Bernard rushed for eight yards on just three carries but racked up seven receptions on eight targets for 56 yards and a touchdown in his team's 27-17 loss to the Steelers Sunday.

Bernard displayed excellent athleticism on his 17-yard score in the first quarter, grabbing a short pass across the middle of the field and hurdling over a defender on his way to the end zone. While he's seen his role in the running game reduced in recent weeks, Bernard remains an integral part of the passing attack, catching touchdowns in back-to-back games over the last two weeks.

Bernard ends the regular season with 680 rushing yards on 168 carries and 349 receiving yards on 43 receptions along with seven total touchdowns. He'll square off with the Colts in the first round of the playoffs Sunday.

There's no doubting the hierarchy in Cincinnati's backfield

by Chris Towers | CBSSports.com

(12/23/14) After yet another huge performance in Week 16 against the Broncos Jeremy Hill appears to have cemented himself as the Bengals No. 1 running back moving forward.

The Bengals rode Hill to victory Monday, on the strength of his second 140-yard game in a row. He rushed for 147 on 22 carries, including an 85-yard touchdown, and pushed Giovani Bernard into a peripheral role yet again. Hill played 62 percent of the team's snaps Monday, compared to Bernard's 38 percent, and had 22 touches to Bernard's 13.

An injury disrupted Bernard's season, but Hill hasn't shown any reason to consider giving the job back since he's been healthy. In the five games since Bernard has been healthy, he has 56 carries and 14 receptions, while Hill has 86 carries and nine receptions, with four touchdowns and 514 all-purpose yards. Bernard will still be around, but moving forward into next season, Hill looks like the back to own in Cincinnati, though both should have some value.

Giovani Bernard notches first receiving touchdown this year

by Larry Hartstein | CBSSports.com

(12/23/14) Bengals running back Giovani Bernard showed off his speed on a simple dumpoff pass in the third quarter Monday night. Bernard jetted away from the Broncos' defense for a 22-yard touchdown, his first receiving score this year.

Bernard caught all five of his targets for 45 yards and ran eight times for 36 yards. He has 184 yards from scrimmage in the past two weeks.

Bernard should figure heavily into the receiving game again when Cincy visits the Steelers in Week 17.

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When Marvin Lewis said this offseason that he hoped to see Giovani Bernard follow the same steps Ray Rice took from his rookie year to his second year, Fantasy owners got pumped about drafting him. Not that his rookie year suggested otherwise as Bernard had just over 1,200 yards of offense and eight total touchdowns on just 226 regular-season touches. And it seemed like he finally turned the corner on being Cincinnati's primary running back late last year when he had more touches than veteran BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the final four games of their season. The working theory here is that the Bengals will let Bernard lead the way, a very good thing considering new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson's track record with running backs. We're expecting big numbers from Bernard, even with a tough schedule, thanks to a bigger workload, a more run-friendly play caller and his own special ability. Expect Bernard to get drafted between 10th and 20th overall in all leagues this summer.
(Updated 4/30/14)